Apparatus for transportation and segregated emptying of vessels containing fluids of different density

ABSTRACT

A method of transporting oil by vessel which includes discharging an oil cargo at a destination and refilling the vessel with a water ballast, transporting the vessel to an oil supply area, discharging only the water ballast at the oil supply area while retaining any oil-water mixture within the vessel. Apparatus is provided which automatically maintains delivery of only a single density fluid by operating only within the fluid to be delivered and ceasing to operate when in a different fluid. In an alternative embodiment, conduits are fixed in the vessel with their ends a predetermined distance apart to withdraw selectively different density fluids by pump means selectively controlled by a float member.

United States Patent [191 Levenberg 51 Sept. 11, 1973 [76] Inventor: Nathan Levenberg, 2 Windsor Pl.,

Lynbrook, N.Y. 11563 [22] Filed: July 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 164,509

[52] US. Cl 137/172, 137/423, 137/578, 114/121 [51] Int. Cl. B431) 43/06 [58] Field of Search 137/172, 173, 204, 137/154, 578, 423; 61/.5; 114/121; 417/40 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,279,380 10/1906 Clark 137/172 X 2,701,620 2/1955 Crawford 137/172 X 3,090,849 5/1903 Coulin 417/40 X 1/1970 Lennemann ..6l/.5 ll/l958 Muller 137/172 Primary ExaminerAlan Cohan Attorney-Lane, Aitken, Dunner & Ziems [57] ABSTRACT A method of transporting oil by vessel which includes discharging an oil cargo at a destination and refilling the vessel with a water ballast, transporting the vessel to an oil supply area, discharging only the water ballast at the oil supply area while retaining any oil-water mixture within the vessel. Apparatus is provided which automatically maintains delivery of only a single density fluid by operating only within the fluid to be delivered I and ceasing to operate when in a different fluid. In an alternative embodiment, conduits are fixed in the vessel with their ends a predetermined distance apart to withdraw selectively different density fluids by pump means selectively controlled by a float member.

6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures Pmmmsm 3.751.813

sum 1 UF 2 STATIONI I STATION 2 FIG/0 @HIEWQZ MAE NATHAN LEVENBERG BYMMM ORNEYS PATENTEUSEPI m 3.757. 813

sum 2 (IF 2 IN VENTOR NATHAN LEVENBERG fl m/Mm TTORNEYS APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTATION AND SEGREGATED EMPTYING or VESSELS CONTAINING FLUIDS or DIFFERENT nsnsrrv BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method and apparatus for transportation and delivery of fluids contained within a vessel. More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus for transportation and rapid and pollutionfree automatic separate delivery of different density fluids.

In the prior art, methods have been devised and apparatus designed to transport oil by vessel, rapidly remove the oil from the vessel, and refill the vessel with water ballast for the return trip. Generally, in such systems, the water ballast mixes with the oil on the return trip and is either discharged into the sea, causing ecological difficulties, or into large settling tanks on land requiring the expenditure of great time and money to separate the oil from the water.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, a method is provided for preventing the pollution of the ocean by retaining an oil-water mixture within a vessel when the vessel is carrying oil, when it is carrying water ballast, and at states in between. Apparatus is provided which permits the automatic, rapid, and separate entrance and exit of oil and of water while permitting any oilwater mixture to remain.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for rapid, pollution-free transportation of oil by vessel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for the automatic, rapid and inexpensive supply to and delivery of oil from a vessel in a manner consonant with sound ecological practices.

Further objects and advantages of thepresent invention will become apparent and the exact nature of the invention will be more clearly understood when the following description is considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1A through IE is a schematic representation of a transverse cross-sectional view of the various states of a vessel engaged in carrying out the method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a transverse cross-sectional view of a vessel embodying the apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a transverse cross-sectional view of a vessel showing an alternate embodiment of the invention wherein the respective pump inlets are spatially fixed relative to each other.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 wherein the most dense level of fluid has been removed fromthe vessel.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates the various steps which are necessary to carry out the oil transportation method of the present invention. An oil transporting vessel is shown, at A of FIG. 1, at a supply station, designated as station 1, substantially filled with oil 12. As shown at A, the vessel 10 is in a condition to depart from the supply station 1 for the delivery station 2 in the direction of the arrow designated by the reference numeral 14. A layer of a mixture of oil and water designated by the reference numeral 16 is shown within the vessel 10 and which, as explained more fully below, has remained in the vessel from a previous voyage. Upon being transported to station 2, the vessel 10 has, through seepage, acquired a quantity of water 18 which, being heavier than either the oil 12 or the oil and water mixture 16 sinks to the bottom of the vessel 10 as shown at B of FIG. 1. Upon reaching station 2, only the oil 12 is discharged, by the use of apparatus to be described below, and the vessel appears as illustrated at C of FIG. 1. The oil and water mixture 16 is not discharged and remains within the interior of the vessel 10.

Having discharged its cargo of oil 12 the vessel 10 is highly unstable due to its greatly decreased weight, having only the relatively thin layer of oil and water 16 and the small amount of water 18 contained within the vessel 10. In order to increase stability for the return trip to station 1 to be resupplied with a cargo of oil, extra weight or ballast is added to the vessel in the form of additional water 18. As illustrated at D of FIG. 1, the oil and water mixture 16, being lighter than the water 18, floats on top for the return trip to station I made in the direction indicated by the arrow designated by the reference numeral 20.

Once at station 1 the water 18 is removed and the vessel 10 is as illustrated at E of FIG. 1. A new cargo of oil 12 may now be added resulting in a vessel which would have the general appearance illustrated at A of FIG. 1, ready for transportation to station 2.

FIG. 2 shows the vessel 10 as it: might appear at station 1 in a condition intermediate between D and A or between B and D of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, a float 22 is supplied with air through a hose 24 contained within a flexible casing 26 from an air supply, not shown, in order to render the float 22 neutrally buoyant within the water 18 contained within the vessel 10. An opening 28 appears within the float 22 and communicates through a conduit 30 contained within the casing 26, with an or ifice 32-of a reversible pump 34 located upon a'deck 36 of the vessel 10 through an opening 38 in the deck. Attached to another orifice 40 of the pump 34 is another flexible conduit 42 of sufficient length to reach into the ocean 43. I

A second float 44 is supplied with air from an air supply, not shown, through a hose 46 contained within a flexible casing 48 to render the float neutrally buoyant within the oil 12. The float 44 has an opening 50 which communicates, through a conduit 52 with an orifice 54 of a reversible pump 56 located upon the deck 36, through an opening 58 in the deck. Another orifice 60 of the pump 56 is connected to a flexible conduit 62 which is here shown in communication with an oil tank 64. Each of the floats 22 and 44 containssensing devices 64 and 66 respectively, which operate to disable the pumps 34 and 56 respectively in a manner described below. This disablement of the pumps 34 and 56 prevents the entrance into the conduits 30 or 52 of fluid of different density than the fluid within which the floats were originally buoyed. The amount of air supplied to either or both of the floats 22 or 44 may be varied to buoy the floats in any desired liquid thus rendering the floats selectively buoyant.

In operation, as shown in FIG. 1, a transfer of oil and water is required to progress from step B to step D, and

to progress from step D to step A. FIG. 2 shows the vessel as it appears at station 2 in the condition illustrated at B of FIG. 1. The float 22 is supplied with sufficient air from an air supply, not shown, through the air hose 24 to render the float neutrally bouyant within the layer of water 18. The float 44 is likewise supplied with sufficient air from an air supply, not shown, through the air hose 46 so as to render it neutrally bouyant within the layer of oil 12. The pump 56 is then actuated to draw the oil 12 into the conduit 52 through the opening 50 in the float 44 and deliver it to the tank 64 through the conduit 62. At the same time, the pump 34 is activated to draw in water from the sea 43 through the conduit 42, supply it to the interior of the vessel 10 through the conduit 30, exiting into the interior of the vessel 10 through the opening 28 in the float 22.

If the pumps 56 and 34 operate at the same delivery rate the oil 12 can be discharged and the water 18 pumped aboard simultaneously thus preparing the vessel 10 for its return trip as rapidly as possible. Naturally, the pumps 34 and 56 need not be operated simultaneously. The steps C and E illustrated in FIG. 1 will be realized if the oil 12 and water 18 are sequentially and not simultaneously moved through the respective conduits 52 and 30.

The sensor 66 contained within the float 44 operates to disable the pump 56 from operation if the float 44 should enter a liquid, such as the oil-water mixture 16, of a viscosity different from the liquid it was adjusted to operate within. The sensor 66 may be any well known type of viscosity sensor, liquid interface sensor or even a simple mercury switch. If the sensor 66 is a mercury switch the pump 56 will be disabled whenever the float 44 enters a medium of different density thereby upsetting the horizontal attitude assumed by virtue of the air entrapped within the float, causing the float to become non-horizontal. A similar sensor 64, contained within the float 22, operates in a similar manner. The result of the operation of the sensors 66 and 64 is that the oil-water mixture 16 is not discharged from the vessel, only oil is delivered to the tank 64, and the vessel is rapidly made ready for the return trip.

Upon reaching station 1 the water 18, which has been acting as ballast, is discharged and a new cargo of oil 12 istaken on. FIG. 2 can now be thought of as representing the vessel 10 as it appears in FIG. 1 undergoing the transition from the condition illustrated at D to the condition illustrated at A. The reversible pump 34 is operated so as to discharge the water 18 through the conduit 42 into the ocean 43. Due to the action of the sensor 64, the pump 34 operates to discharge only water 18 and is rendered inoperable if the opening 28 of the float 22 enters into the oil and water mixture 16. In this manner, oil pollution of the ocean caused by the discharge from the vessel 10 is virtually eliminated. The pump 56 can be operated simultaneously with the operation of the pump 34 if desired to supply the vessel 10 with oil 12 from a supply tank so as to make the time in port as short as possible. Once the vessel 10 has been refilled with oil 12, it can leave immediately for station 2.

It is therefore evident that a method and apparatus has been presented for the rapid, economical, and virtually pollution-free transportation of oil by vessel. The method of retaining the oil-water mixture 16 within the vessel 10 results in little if any pollution of the ocean water 43. The use of the floats 22 and 44 with their respective sensors 64 and 66 permit the rapid interchange of fluids within the vessel 10 while contributing to the pollution-free operation and greatly reducing the tum-around time in port. Naturally, if desired, the floats 22 and 44 could be used to respectively supply and remove solvents to periodically cleanse the interior of the vessel 10. Additionally, the floats 22 and 44 could be used to handle other fluids of varying densities and selectively deliver them at the same or different delivery locations.

In connection with the embodiment of FIG. 2, the pumps 34 and 56 may be replaced by a single pump which may be intermittently operated to achieve the described method of removing oil from the vessel 10 and causing water to be added to the interior of the vessel. Preferably, in such an instance, a valving arrangement and a Y type of conduit connection are used for receiving the conduits 30 and 52. The single outlet of the Y connection is connected to the single pump and the outlet of the pump is secured to the tank 64 when discharging oil from the vessel and removed therefrom and inserted into the water as at 43 in FIG. 2 for filling the vessel with water, as previously described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2. On the other hand, multiple connections to a single pump inlet could also be used.

The flexible casing 48 in FIG. 2 is shown positioned as might be the case when the float 44 is neutrally buoyant near the upper surface of the oil layer 12. The

length of the casing 48 is sufficient to permit the float 44 to remain neutrally buoyant at other levels within the oil layer 12 and to permit the float 44 to remain at the desired position even if a relatively small volume of water is contained within the vessel prior to the admission of water, for example in a situation where a single pump is used.

The embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an alternative structure for achieving the method according to the invention with alternate apparatus. Where applicable, like reference numerals have been applied to elements and structure which have been previously described in connection with FIG. 2.

In FIG. 3, the pump 56 is connected to a conduit 70 having its inlet end 71 fixed relatively near the bottom of the interior of the vessel 10. The pump 34 is connected to a conduit 73 having its inlet 74 fixed at a position within the interior of the vessel 10 which is relatively higher than the position of the inlet end 71 of the conduit 70. A float member 76 is selected to remain buoyant at about the interface between the oil layer 12 and the oil-water layer 16. A relatively rigid member 77 is secured to the float member 76 to actuate a switching circuit 78 secured near the upper portion of the vessel 10. The switching circuit 78 is connected to the pump 56 by a lead 80 to control the operation of pump 34. While a switching arrangement such as that previously disclosed in connection with FIG. 2 may be used with the fixed conduits of FIG. 3, an alternate switching arrangement is disclosed wherein the position of the rigid member 77 relative to the switching circuit 78, for example, a multiposition micro-switch actuates the switch 78 by a protrusion on the rigid member 77.

In FIG. 3, the pump 56 will discharge water 18 when operative by a signal from the switch means 78 to the pump on conduit 79. As the volume of water is removed from the vessel, the float member 76 falls to a lower position within the vessel until substantially all of the water is removed, as shown for the float 76 adjacent the bottom of the vessel 10, as in FIG. 4. In this condition, the pump 56 ceases operation so that the oil-water layer 16 is not withdrawn from the vessel. At this point, the pump 34 is actuated by the switching arrangement 78 by a signal on lead 80 to permit oil 12 to be withdrawn from the interior of the vessel 10.

After the water 18 has been removed from the vessel, the pump 34 may then remove the oil layer 12 for the conduit 70 and 73 fixed as shown, while substantially maintaining the volume of oil-water mixture for use as ballast in accordance with the teachings above.

The inlet end of the conduit 73 is fixed sufficiently above the bottom of the vessel so that when no water 18 is contained within the vessel, the oil-water layer 16 lies slightly below or at about the inlet 74 of the conduit 73. Thus, the inlet 74 is disposed substantially entirely in the oil layer 12 so that the pump 34 may be used to remove the oil layer 12 while unloading the vessel.

As described, in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, the particular arrangements of additional conduits from the pumps 34 and 56 can be located for securing the conduit 42 from the pump 34 to an oil tank such as tank 64 when discharging oil by the use of a pump 34. Thus, in this alternate embodiment, the pump 56 is used for removing water from the vessel before the oil 12 is removed or for admitting water 18 into the vessel for ballast as shown at station D and described in connection with FIG. 1. In each instance, the particular details of the switching arrangement to properly sequence the pumps 56 and 34 to admit or discharge oil and water respectively is within the skill of the art.

A plurality of such arrangements as are shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 may be disposed wtihin the interior of the vessel 10, particularly wherethe vessel contains a plurality of interior compartments.

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described in detail herein, it would be readily appreciated to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the pres ent invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for segregated delivery of fluids of different density, said apparatus comprising: a first conduit including a first end; a second conduit including a first end; selectively operable pump means operatively connected to said first conduit and said second conduit for selectively transferring fluid through said first conduit and said second conduit; and sensing means responsive to the level of fluid of a predetermined density for causing said pump means to operate to selectively transfer fluid through said first conduit and said second conduit; and wherein said sensing means includes a first float means in an operable relationship with said first end of said first conduit for positioning said first end of said first conduit within a first fluid; first sensing means for preventing said fluid transfer through said first conduit in response to said first conduit first end moving out of said first fluid; second float. means in an operable relationship with said first end of said second conduit for positioning said first end of said second conduit within a second fluid; and second sensing means for preventing said fluid transfer through said second conduit in response to said second conduit first end moving out of said second fluid.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pump means includes first pump means in an operable relationship with said first conduit for transferring said first fluid through said first conduit and second pump means in an operable relationship with said second conduit for transferring said second fluid through said second conduit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and said second sensing means includes means for preventing said fluid transfer in response to a change in fluid viscosity.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sensing means includes means for preventing said fluid transfer in response to a change in fluid density.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said sensing means is further characterized as including means for sensing the horizontal attitude of said float.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said float means is adapted to be selectively buoyant. 

1. An apparatus for segregated delivery of fluids of different density, said apparatus comprising: a first conduit including a first end; a second conduit including a first end; selectively operable pump means operatively connected to said first conduit and said second conduit for selectively transferring fluid through said first conduit and said second conduit; and sensing means responsive to the level of fluid of a predetermined density for causing said pump means to operate to selectively transfer fluid through said first conduit and said second conduit; and wherein said sensing means includes a first float means in an operable relationship with said first end of said first conduit for positioning said first end of said first conduit within a first fluid; first sensing means for preventing said fluid transfer through said first conduit in response to said first conduit first end moving out of said first fluid; second float means in an operable relationship with said first end of said second conduit for positioning said first end of said second conduit within a second fluid; and second sensing means for preventing said fluid transfer through said second conduit in response to said second conduit first end moving out of said second fluid.
 2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said pump means includes first pump means in an operable relationship with said first conduit for transferring said first fluid through said first conduit and second pump means in an operable relationship with said second conduit for transferring said second fluid through said second conduit.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and said second sensing means includes means for preventing said fluid transfer in response to a change in fluid viscosity.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sensing means includes means for preventing said fluid transfer in response to a change in fluid density.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said sensing means is further characterized as including means for sensing the horizontal attitude of said float.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said float means is adapted to be selectively buoyant. 